Archive for marijuana

The Book Booth is a weekly feature at The Political Carnival, relating news, notes, and reflections from the world of books and publishing. @SeattleDan, along with his wife, SeattleTammy, are operators of both an on-line bookstore here, as well as a brick and mortar storefront mini-store in Hoquiam, WA at 706 Simpson Ave (Route 101 South). Both have been in the book business since shortly after the Creation, or close to 6000 years now.

The Book Booth: What's In That Pipe? Edition

It's another opening, another show! Time to brush up our Shakespeare! Everyone's favorite bard, it appears, was no stranger to the use of marijuana. Now may be the time to, um, re-read those plays and sonnets.Don't Bogart That Pipe, Will

Then, again, if you'd like something a bit more substantial, the readers at Buzzfeed recommended these under-rated books. Topping that list is Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, which probably isn't neglected, but if you haven't read it, do so.Under-Rated Books You Should Read

The poet and novelist Naja Marie Aidt, whose new novel is entitled Rock, Paper, Scissors, also has some reading ideas of novels written by poets. Though I think most people regard Gertrude Stein, no relation to Garth, as a novelist; her poetry is pretty forgettable. Otherwise it is an interesting list.Novels Written by Poets

With the recent departures of both Jon Stewart and David Letterman from the late night airwaves, authors will be missing those venues to promote their books. Those guys were terrific at interviews and the art of book placement in front of a camera. How important are these promos? Publishers Weekly tells us we should just ask Jon Stewart's wife.How Important Are TV Book Promos? Ask Jon Stewart's Wife

From the world of the bizarre department. It seems children's author and illustrator Mary Engelbreit has drawn some severe criticism for her recent art concerning the death of Michael Brown a year ago in Ferguson, Missouri. Truth be told, I have not been a fan of hers, but I am now.A Children's Book Illustrator Getting Hate Mail?

Hey, you know that whole marriage equality wave of support America has experienced recently? There appears to be a similar trend when it comes to legalizing marijuana. That's not only good news for my many friends who appreciate the effects of recreational pot, it's also great news for those who benefit from using medical marijuana.

But wait! The good news gets even better! There's a new study that shows that using medical marijuana could actually reduce the number of overdoses by those who use and/or abuse legal drug pushers' Big Pharma's vast array of painkillers. Per the Los Angeles Times:

The new research, published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, finds that deaths associated with the use of opiate drugs fell in 13 states after they legalized medical marijuana. Compared to states with no formal access to marijuana, those that allowed certain patients legal access to cannabis saw a steady drop in opiate-related overdoses that reached 33%, on average, six years after the states' medical marijuana laws took effect. [...]

The results showed that after a state began to implement a medical marijuana law, the rate of its non-intentional opiate overdose fatalities fell compared to those of states without such laws.

And that comparative decline picked up steam over the first six years after the laws went into effect. On average, the statistical analysis showed, states passing medical marijuana laws saw annual reductions of roughly 25% in their opioid-related death rates compared to states with no such laws.

I don't know which on is more offensive - Congressman Steve King's comments to the DREAMers who dared question him about his desire to deport them, or Senator Rand (Ran) Paul's dine and dash upon hearing them identify themselves as DREAMers!

During a conference call last month with the National Emergency Coalition, Rep. Steve King said that the U.S. needs to crack down on immigration because our nation’s borders were established by God. Disrespecting the borders, the congressman suggested, is disrespecting God’s will.

He also blamed the child migrant crisis not on drug-war-related violence in Central America but on President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, or as he calls it, “deferred action for criminal aliens.”

Steve King, who has been one of the loudest voices trying to undo DACA (President Obama’s Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program), even went so far as to call for the president's impeachment over the immigration issue on Fox "News" Sunday.

Now you can watch the DREAMers confront the man who would have them deported..

Should you not care to click on that link (and I don't blame you), here's what transpired yesterday, courtesy of Dave Weigel at Slate:

On Monday morning Brooks went on Laura Ingraham's show (which is to immigration restriction what Epic Meal Time is to calorie consumption) and engaged in 12 minutes of predictable recapping about the border fight. Then things got real. Ingraham played Brooks a clip of National Journal's Ron Fournier, warning that the GOP could not survive as the "party of white people." Brooks' response?

"Well, this is a part of the war on whites that’s being launched by the Democratic Party," he said. "And the way in which they’re launching this war is by claiming that whites hate everybody else. It's part of the strategy that Barack Obama implemented in 2008, continued in 2012, where he divides us all on race, on sex, greed, envy, class warfare, all those kinds of things. Well, that’s not true, OK? And if you look at the polling data, every demographic group in America agrees with the rule of law and securing our borders." He told listeners to seek out a speech Rep. Raul Labrador (whose family is Puerto Rican) gave about the rhetoric. "The Democrats, they have to demagogue on this, and turn it into a racial issue."

Ingraham let all that flow, then gave Brooks a chance to walk back. "I don't think Raul Labrador would probably say there's a war on whites," she said.

"That is in effect what they're doing," said Brooks. "That's the political game."

"They're playing the race card, they're playing the war on women card," said Ingraham. "That's what the left does, but I don't think 'war on whites' is the best phraseology."

..a massive coalition of Asian, Latino and Black civil rights group filed letters arguing that regulators should lay off of Internet Service Providers regarding Title II reclassification and accept FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s original plan. In other words, something close to half of the entire civil rights establishment just sold out the Internet.

According to discussions with several people at NewsOne, including an editor there, the decision to take down the article came from corporate headquarters. NewsOne editor Abena Agyeman-Fisher told Republic Report, “the company didn’t feel it was appropriate to have up and we were suppose to take it down.” NewsOne is owned by Radio One, a company with a 50.9% stake in a business partnership with Comcast known as TV One.

This just underscores the need for independent media outlets -- like Radio or Not!

And if you were as annoyed by all of those damned fundraising emails - growing more frequent and frenetic as it grew closer to the end of the month (and fundraising quotas), then you'll love the new tumblr set up by someone who was equally annoyed, called Emails from the DCCC. Click and enjoy.

Tomorrow, Crooks & Liars' Susie Madrak returns from her vacation to chat with me about the latest news, and the woman challenging Andrew Cuomo in NY's gubernatorial primary, Zephyr Teachout, returns to the show... Radio or Not!

It's [the Evil Weed] going to cause Berkeley to make the poverty rate and the income rate to move down over generations …

This is Fvx's new favorite irrational hate target: The city of Berkeley and their 'free weed' giveaways to the low income population for healthcare' purposes. You won't believe it until you see it, so find those Fox Noise Nausea Meds and I'll meet you on the other side.

They had former addict and practicing Religionist Bishop Ron Allen on to opine. Twas his erudite quote, above. Gag.